Predicting Lateral Resistance of Piles in Cohesive Soils

The ultimate lateral resistance of free- and fixed-headed piles in cohesive soil is examined in this paper using the three-dimensional finite element limit analysis with upper and lower bound theorems. A special concern, and that is the novelty of this study, is devoted to the combined effect of the three important dimensionless parameters; namely, the overburden stress factor (n), the pile length-diameter ratio (L/D), and the ratio of eccentric length to diameter (e/D). Numerical results are expressed by using Broms's horizontal load factor, and comparisons are made with several published solutions. In addition, the associated failure mechanisms are investigated with respect to the three parametric effects. The adopted new technique has been successfully used to study a number of different geo-stability problems. It is thus the aim of this paper to produce accurate and practical results with design equations and charts that can be used by practitioners to predict the undrained lateral capacity of fixed- and free-headed piles.